What is ? © UNHCR / R. Arnold

Today millions of people are stateless worldwide: they are not considered as nationals by any State under the operation of its . Statelessness is sometimes referred to as an invisible problem because stateless people often remain unseen and unheard. They often aren’t allowed to go to school, see a doctor, get a job, open a bank account, buy a house or even get married. Denial of these rights impacts not only the individuals concerned but also society as a whole, in particular because excluding an entire sector of the population can lead to social tensions and significantly impair economic and social development.

HOW DO PEOPLE BECOME STATELESS? WHERE DO THEY LIVE?

Statelessness can be caused by a number of factors such as: Although statelessness may in many contexts be a hidden discrimination in (e.g. racial, religious or problem, stateless people are found in all regions of the world. gender), conflict between and gaps in nationality laws and The majority of statelessness people were born in the countries State succession. Being undocumented is not the same as being in which they have lived their entire lives. Countries with notably stateless. However lack of birth registration can put people large stateless populations include Myanmar, Kuwait, Cote at risk of statelessness as a birth certificate provides d’Ivoire, Thailand, Iraq, and the Dominican Republic. Significant of where a person was born and parentage – key information populations also live in the countries around the world which needed to establish a nationality. Risks of statelessness can also do not allow mothers to confer their nationality to their arise in situations of displacement. For example, in the context children on an equal basis as fathers. This can result in children of the Syria crisis, the risk of statelessness is increased by a being left stateless when fathers are unknown, missing or combination of gender discrimination in Syria’s nationality law deceased. Statelessness due to the dissolution of former states coupled with a lack of civil documentation amongst the displaced also continues to affect many people, including hundreds of population. thousands of people in Europe alone.

The Campaign to End #IBELONG Statelessness by 2024 WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES WHAT CAN BE DONE OF STATELESSNESS? ABOUT STATELESSNESS?

Without any nationality, stateless persons often don’t have the UNHCR is mandated by the UN General Assembly to identify basic rights that citizens enjoy. Statelessness affects socio- and protect stateless people and to prevent and reduce economic rights such as: education, employment, social statelessness. UNHCR fulfills its mandate by working with welfare, housing, healthcare as well as civil and political rights governments, other UN agencies and civil society to address including: freedom of movement, freedom from arbitrary the problem. On 4 November 2014, UNHCR launched the detention and political participation. When thousands of #IBelong Campaign to End Statelessness by 2024. To achieve people are stateless, the result is communities that are alienated the goals of the #IBelong Campaign, the Global Action Plan and marginalised. In the worst cases, statelessness can lead to to End Statelessness: 2014 – 2024 establishes a guiding conflict and cause displacement. framework comprising 10 Actions to be undertaken by States, with the support of UNHCR and other stakeholders. The Global Action Plan is intended to resolve existing major situations of WHAT IS THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK statelessness and prevent new cases from emerging. TO ADDRESS STATELESSNESS?

States set the rules for acquisition, change and loss of nationality as part of their sovereign power. At the same time, the discretion of States with regard to nationality is limited by obligations THE 10 ACTIONS TO under international treaties to which they are party, customary END STATELESSNESS ARE: and general principles of law.

The 1954 Convention relating to the of Stateless 1 Resolve existing major situations Persons is the cornerstone of the international protection of statelessness. regime for stateless persons. It provides the definition of a stateless person and establishes minimum standards of 2 Ensure that no child is born stateless. treatment for stateless people with respect to a number of rights. These include, but are not limited to, the right to education, employment and housing. The 1954 Convention also 3 Remove gender discrimination guarantees stateless people a right to identity, travel documents from nationality laws. and administrative assistance. 4 Prevent denial, loss or deprivation of Specific obligations relating to prevention and reduction of nationality on discriminatory grounds. statelessness are established under the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The 1961 Convention requires that States establish safeguards in to address 5 Prevent statelessness in cases statelessness occurring at birth or later in life. It also sets out of State succession. important safeguards to prevent statelessness due to loss or renunciation of nationality or state succession. The 1961 6 Grant protection status to stateless migrants and Convention also sets out the very limited situations in which facilitate their . States can deprive a person of his or her nationality, even if this would leave the person stateless. 7 Ensure birth registration for the Regional treaties complement the international statelessness prevention of statelessness. conventions and establish additional obligations for States Parties relating to the prevention of statelessness. 8 Issue nationality documentation to those with entitlement to it. International instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of 9 Accede to the UN Statelessness Conventions. All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Convention 10 Improve quantitative and qualitative on the Rights of the Child, the International Convention on the data on stateless populations. Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities also contain provisions relating to the right to nationality and contribute to the protection of stateless persons and the prevention of statelessness.

The Campaign to End #IBELONG Statelessness by 2024